


A Chance You Don't Sleep On

by Lora_Blackmane



Category: Epithet Erased (Cartoon)
Genre: Angst, For Spliinkles' Roleswap au, Gen, My angst has exclusively become: hands you Sylvie angst hands you Sylvie angst hands you, Roleswap AU, fluff at the beginning and it all goes downhill from there
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-18
Updated: 2020-01-18
Packaged: 2021-02-27 15:13:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,834
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22299133
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lora_Blackmane/pseuds/Lora_Blackmane
Summary: It's been a week since the museum incident, and Sylvie is getting impatient about the lack of progress on finding the amulet that hurt his daughter. It looks like he'll have to find it himself, with or without his boss's consent.
Relationships: Sylvester "Sylvie" Ashling & Percival "Percy" King
Comments: 24
Kudos: 71





	A Chance You Don't Sleep On

"Hey kid, I'm home." Sylvie saw a shadow move in the living room, illuminated by the TV. He walked into the room and sighed, shaking his head fondly as he looked at the scene in front of him. The TV was turned onto the local news, and a police radio he had been looking for was on the couch. There was a large cork board next to the couch (which looked suspiciously like the one from his room), covered in newspaper clippings and photos of various criminals and their activities within the area of Sweet Jazz City. Little sticky notes covered in scribble like handwriting littered the space in between them, discussing various psychology terms and why the criminals might have chosen to commit the crimes they did. Honestly, Sylvie would be impressed if it wasn't 1 a.m. and he could actually read what the notes said.

A bang came from the hallway to the bedrooms, pulling Sylvie's attention away. 

He could hear muffled swearing as he walked towards it, rolling his eyes as he heard her unsuccessfully try to make as little noise as she could. Her current medicine and medical issues didn't really help matters. He knocked on the door, 2nd closest to the living room on the right, before opening it. "Shouldn't you be asleep right now, young lady? Y'know instead of trying to psychoanalyze criminals in the living room?" 

Percy sat on her bed, the picture of false innocence most teenagers have perfected by 14. "I have no idea what you're talking about, **_I_ ** haven't left my bed all day. Also, technically… you just said I couldn't leave the house while I'm recovering. You said nothing about the house itself."

"You know what I meant when I said 'please don't leave while you're recovering.'"

"I do… but you didn't specify." She had a smug smile on her face as she said it, causing Sylvie to roll his eyes as he ruffled her hair - causing her to let out a yell of annoyance as she shoved his hand away. "I swear, I'm going to have to start having a lawyer look over what I plan to say before I talk to you sometimes." 

"I bet if you did you'd actually know what half the force is saying."

"I know what they're saying, even if I forget the terminology sometimes if I haven't had my coffee. Now get some rest you gremlin."

She rolled her eyes again. "I'm fine Detective! I don't need to sleep."

"Uh-huh. And how are you supposed to recover if you don't get enough sleep?"

"I'll be fine! My investigations need to be finished-"

"I think that your investigations can wait till you're better Percy, so you're injuries don't get worse..." he grinned as Percy started to repeatedly say no. "Ewe _wooldn't_ want that right?"

Percy let out a loud moan as he finished his pun and fell back onto the bed, grimacing as her side got jostled by the fall. He went to check on her, but was waved away with such force he couldn't help but laugh as he left her room. "Goodnight Percy!"

A quiet, "...night dad," came from her room as he closed the door - making him stop and smile before walking to the living room. He picked up the cork board and spun it around, revealing a mess of tangled strings, notes, and pictures, with a picture of the Arsene Amulet in the center. 

He grabbed a pen from his coat pocket and tapped it on his chin. "Now, where was I?" 

* * *

Sylvie walked towards the captain's office to give him the latest information on his current case when he heard a voice coming from it. He stopped and silently listened, curious. The captain didn't usually call two people at the same time for briefings, whatever he was talking about must have been important.

"That's all the info we have on the current whereabouts of the Arsene Amulet…now," Sylvie was sure he said something after that but he couldn't focus enough to understand it.

The Arsene Amulet.

The thing that had hurt his daughter so badly.

And they finally might have **found** it.

Sylvie slipped into the office as the officers left. He waited next to the door until the captain looked at him. "Detective Ashling. How may I help you today? Oh, right; I called you in to see what new information-"

"I want to join them." 

The captain just gave him a confused look. "Join them on what, boy?"

But Sylvie didn't believe him for a second. "The search for the Arsene Amulet. I _know_ you sent them to go find it. I want to be assigned to the case as well sir." 

The captain grimaced. "So you heard that huh. I'm sorry, but given your… close relationship to the victim of it, I don't think that's a good idea Ashling."

Usually Sylvie would be able to understand the logic of the captain's reasoning. You don't put someone with a high emotional stake in the case on it, simple as that.

Right now though? Sylvie was anything but logical. But he still knew how to keep his cool. With no emotion he replied, "I understand captain," then relayed what he had learned so far. Once he finished he left the room, going down to the parking lot before anyone could stop him. 

* * *

  
  


"PERCY!!"

Detective Ashling had done a lot of running over the years, whether it be to stay in shape or catch criminals, but he was sure he had never ran as fast as he did when he saw his daughter in that room, surrounded by Banzai Blasters. One of them ran towards him, pulling out a bat from somewhere as they came towards him, but he barely spared them a passing glance - slamming a handful of sleeping dust into their face as he ran past. He heard them collapse on the floor, and he was certain that the criminals had seen it, because they quickly hid behind the leader. She looked around, before locking eyes with someone standing next to her and then Percy. He watched in slow motion as she grabbed the two of them and screamed, "Stop!"

He froze.

"Don't - do not move any closer." The Banzai Blaster was holding a child - a boy barely older than 12 it looked like - and… and _Percy_.

"Let _her_ **_go,_ **" He growled out.

"I will," the Banzai Blaster shakily said, "but first, you're not gonna hurt us as we collect Trix- yeah Trix. And then, then we're gonna leave."

Everything within him wanted to do… _something_. Anything to get his daughter away from them, but instead he put his hands up and backed away. This was a delicate situation - they had two hostages (one of which is your daughter his brain unhelpfully reminded him) and even if he used his epithet there wasn't a guarantee he could get to them in time before the Banzai Blasters hurt them. 

He let out a shaky breath before looking her in the eye. "You… you promise you'll let her - them go? Safe and sound?"

The leader nodded and spoke with a shaky, but firm voice. "I'm - I am a woman of my word Detective. Your daughter and G- this boy, will be released as soon as we collect Trix and leave and we will do so without harming them."

"O- okay." He backed up, letting a Banzai Blaster with long blonde hair run past him and grab the one he had knocked out earlier. She grabbed her and ran back to the group, running out the door with another girl hot on her heels. The leader nodded and let the two go, but not before turning to Sylvie.

"You're a good dad, Detective. Take care of her alright?" She disappeared through the door before he could say anything. He didn't have much time to process that either before he heard a voice he had missed so much.

"...Dad…?" He turned towards his daughter, relief flooding his veins. He ran over to her and scooped her up into his arms. "Hey kid, how are you feeling?"

"I'm… I'm feeling okay… when did you get here?" 

"That doesn't matter kid. Did you get hurt? Is anything broken??"

"I had a… had a vent fall on me I'm good though- hey did you see that kid? Can you get me his number, I wanna… wanna talk to him when this is all over. See how this affected him…" 

He let out a little laugh and quietly said, "sure kid. I'll see what I can do."

Percy didn't answer this time besides a sleepy hum.

"...Perce?" 

She didn't respond.

"Percy?!" 

No. No no no no no no no-

He needed to get her out of here.

**_Now._ **

He bolted out of the museum.

He vaguely heard the sound of officers coming into the scene as he ran past them, his daughter's body held within his arms.

He stopped only after noticing an ambulance.

Someone got out of it.

Someone tried to take her from him.

That person fell limp against the concrete.

It took several people to convince him to let her go so she could lay on the gurney. 

Sylvie didn't remember the drive to the hospital, only when they got there and his daughter was taken away.

He didn't remember much of what happened after that either, not until she was given a room in the hospital and was okayed to have visitors. They said she wouldn't be awake to talk to them though - strong sleep meds while she was recovering from some fractured ribs and, according to what they found, temporary loss of epithet. He didn't care that she wasn't awake though, he just needed to see her.

He refused to leave her side after that, not even when the others came to check on him. He didn't want to be gone when she finally woke up. He stayed there for days, barely sleeping or eating as the lingering feeling of failure crushed him as he watched his daughter's heart monitor. He didn't move until she woke up.

* * *

  
  


Sylvie gripped the top of his car's driver seat door in a death grip as he slowly let out a breath, futilely trying to release the tense anger holding onto him. 

It didn't work.

His phone buzzed and he stood there for another second before taking it out of his pocket. 

'Someone who looks similar to that girl you said escaped with the amulet has been spotted near Redwood Run. Don't let the captain know I told you this.'

His eyes widened as he read the message. He quickly threw himself into the car, his buckle barely finished clicking in as he peeled out of the parking lot, only slowing down so he wouldn't get arrested before he got to the amulet. 

This was it.

He was heading to Redwood Run, and he wasn't returning from that town until he had that horrid amulet.

**Author's Note:**

> I hope y'all enjoyed what you read between your tears. Also I'd love to see you guys apply for the Epithet Erased zine.


End file.
